Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
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Accommodation

Since having a place to sleep makes living in Berlin much more pleasant, this section will provide you with some information about how to find a place to stay in Berlin. Here you can get some information about the main types of accommodation available in Berlin and (not unimportant) how to find them. Be aware that you will not be the only one searching for a flat at the start of the semester, so don’t be surprised if you have to keep looking for a week or two. But at the same time don’t be afraid. There are a lot of good options out there. We have only put in the most common search portals for housing on this page.

Please note: We do not assume any responsibility for the content of external third-party links that are listed below. They are merely a suggestion where to start looking for housing. The Wiwi International Office is neither cooperating with agencies nor with housing platforms. Make sure to compare the offers and don't forget to read the fine print as you don't want to face unpleasant surprises in the form of fees or charges.

Student Residences

The student dormitories are provided by the City of Berlin through “Studentenwerk”, a student welfare organization, which administers about 10.500 student residences, divided among 35 residence halls throughout Berlin. The rooms differ from one student residence to another, but also within a student residence there are different types of rooms, ranging from a room with a shared kitchen and bathroom to a double private room. The average rent for a student accommodation is between €160 and €365 per month. Note that the location of student dorms tends to be outside the city center.

For degree students: If you are interested in a dorm room, you will need to apply through the Studentenwerk’s homepage. There you can find an online portal to enter your data and personal preferences. A list of vacancies is also available.

For exchange students: To sign up for a spot in a dorm just tick the right box during your online application. You will subsequently get an e-mail telling you about your application from our central office. They will ask you to pay a deposit via bank transfer. The account details will be given to you in that e-mail. Without this deposit, your dorm spot cannot be reserved! Note that while we try to ensure a dorm spot for every applicant, capacities are limited. This means we cannot entirely guarantee a room in a dorm for you.

House of Nations

This is an alternative to Studentenwerk. The House of Nations in Berlin is another company that has a few student dormitories for rent in Berlin (again, they are not a part of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin). You can find more information on their webpage www.house-of-nations.de.

You can apply for one of their seven apartments through their webpage. If you would like to apply for more than one dormitory, you will have to fill out the application again for each additional dormitory selection. You can apply for all of the dormitories if you‘d like. You get to choose the length of your contract; however, please note that the monthly rent will be more expensive if you choose a contract period that lasts fewer than 6 months.

After you have filled out your application, you will hear back from them if you have received the apartment/room. You will have 3 days to pay the deposit before you lose your reservation. When you move out of your apartment/room, you will receive your deposit back within 8 weeks after moving out. You can move-in on the 1st or 15th of the month.

Note: We visited three of the dormitories: (1) Ernst-Reuter-Haus (Altbau), (2) Ernst-Reuter-Haus (Neubau), and (3) Walter-May-Haus. The first two apartments have a 6 month minimum for a leasing contract and are quite old (only these two buildings have a minimum rental period). The Walter-May-Haus is much newer and seems to be a good option.

Private Housing

For a student, the nicest and most common way to live in Berlin is to live in a shared apartment (WG). In a WG, you often share the kitchen and bathroom with some other students or young people. Most students prefer to live in a WG because these are generally located in the city center and provide a good opportunity to interact with other students (and improve your German).

Beware of fraud! Some people may try to rent you flats that do not exist. They generally claim that the landlord is currently abroad and has commissioned a trust company to manage the property in their absence. You are then asked to transfer an instalment of the rent in exchange for being sent the key. This is fraud! To avoid this, you should never transfer any money before visiting the property or establishing personal contact with the landlord. We strongly recommend only transferring money or moving into the flat once you have received a rental agreement signed by the landlord.

Here is a list of links that might help you find accommodation in shared flats:

If you do not like to share your flat with others and the dorms are not an option for you either, there is obviously a wide array of different opportunities available to you in a city like Berlin. Flats are always available and are posted in some of the weekly magazines and newspapers of the city. Note that you probably have to provide some kind of income proof and credit history to be able to rent but specific requirements differ.

Apartments and other accommodations for rent are advertised by private persons and companies in the classified advertisement section of several daily Berlin newspapers:

Shared accommodation in flats is advertised also in the "Zitty" and "Tip" magazines with information on cultural and other events taking place in Berlin. Both are published every other Wednesday and can be read for free in many student pubs, cafés, and restaurants. The newspaper-type publication "Zweite Hand" (Second Hand), which is issued three times a week, also contains flat-share advertisements.

Empty flat? Here's help!

Some flats and rooms in (shared) apartments don't have any furnitures or just some basics, like a bed and a cupboard. A lot of furniture-onlineshops (some without delivery costs) can be found on netzshopping.de. Another possiblity is to buy used stuff: you can find many small priced offers on eBay Kleineinzeigen or at one of Berlins flea markets - also a good place to find decorations or antiques.